Movies in Oregon (Portland, Eugene, Salem: hotel, house, high school)

[John Smart]

I just saw Untraceable with Diane Lane. Much like, Mr Brooks with Kevin Costner they use Portland's winter as the dark and depressing backdrop.

I know there have been lots of movies either filmed around Oregon and/or take place here. Can we name them all?

[dachmom]

Probably the most famous one- 'Goonies' filmed in and around Astoria.

'The Hunted' filmed in Portland

I know there are more, but I can't think of them right now.

[suncat]

Stand By Me was filmed in the summertime near Eugene, but I think movie makers often pick Oregon for the gloomy and moody backdrop. Diane Lane was sitting behind me on a LAX - PDX flight last March, so I know Untraceable was filmed during that time.

Of course, there's Animal House -- a classic. Cloudy weather as a backdrop.

I was an extra in a few forgettable movies that were filmed here -- The Temp, The Marla Hansen Story, The Last Innocent Man and Love At Large. Love At Large definitely went for the Portland gloom look, as did Drugstore Cowboy.

One of the worst movies made, Frozen Assets, was made in Portland. It's worth watching, because it's so bad it's funny.

Off the top of my head, other movies filmed in Oregon are --

*Kindergarten Cop (Astoria)
*Free Willy
*The Haunting of Sarah Hardy (which is randomly shown on the USA network or Lifetime)
*Portland Expose. This is sort of a noir film made in the 50s. I saw it on the rooftop of the Mallory Hotel last summer. It's interesting to see old landmarks and areas of the city.
*The Apple Dumpling Gang
*Body of Evidence (Madonna)
*Mr. Holland's Opus (mostly filmed at Grant High School in Portland)

Can't think of any others right now.

[FoxyKnox]

My great uncle owned the house at UO where Animal House was filmed. Was Untraceable the movie that they shut down the Broadway Bridge for?

[John Smart]

Oh yes, Astoria, how could I forget. They have some tours for all their movies. The Ring and Short Circuit there too.

Wasn't there a movie filmed at an abondoned mental hopsital in Salem? Can't recall any details now.

[dachmom]

You're thinking of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' with Jack Nicholson.

[karlsch]

Although it is being replaced by a politically correct culture in places like Portland, Oregon was once famous for its pragmatic, libertarian culture, which is actually still alive in many of the smaller, rural communities. This is the culture that attracted many counterculture people to Oregon in the late 60s and early 70s.

The movie to see that will help you understand this libertarian culture is Sometimes a Great Notion, based on the Ken Kesey book. It was not only filmed in Oregon, it was about Oregon. It was actually the first movie shown on HBO. For some reason it has never been released on DVD:
Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)
Ken Kesey, of course, also wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

There is a sequence in Sometimes a Great Notion that is often included in compilations of great movie scenes. You can see it here on YouTube:

YouTube - Sometimes a Great Notion - Incredible Scene

[John Shaft]

The Postman

The Shining (at least Timberline Lodge)

[tiffela74]

There was some Burt Reynolds movie filmed in Portland.....i remember sitting on the sidewalk watching them film the scene over and over and over. lol
Something like Breaking In....

a house on my block was used in some movie about Steve Prefontaine.....

My BF in HS was an extra in the Ninja Turtle movie they filmed at least part of in Astoria...

[bobmulk]

"Paint Your Wagon" and within the last five years a movie called, I believe, "The Hunting" or "The Hunted". A terrible movie. And that horrible Madonna movie "Body of Evidence". Of course just putting Madonna in a movie makes it bad!